POS1547-HPR CREATION OF A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM (MDT) RHEUMATOLOGY CLINIC AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON HOSPITAL (UCLH) TO TACKLE THE BACKLOG OF PATIENTS WAITING FOR TREATMENT AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
Authors: D. Ludwig, F. Higgs, N. Allotey, S. Begum, J. Burton
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2022)

Background Covid-19 has consumed hospital resources since January 2020. In the UK, routine care has been disrupted with an estimated 30 million fewer outpatient attendances (2020/21) and over 6 million patients waiting for consultant led care (1). The British Society for Rheumatology ‘Rheumatology Workforce: a crisis in numbers (2021)’ highlights the challenges facing National Health Service rheumatology departments in managing rising caseloads (2). In 2021, UCLH wait time for follow up rheumatology appointments was 9 months. We were inundated with patients requiring urgent treatment. Innovative ways of running outpatients were required which led to the formation of an MDT clinic. Objectives Create a Rheumatology MDT clinic to: Reduce follow up time Increase clinic capacity Reduce number of hospital attendances Add value to each clinic encounter Methods The consultant lead identified an existing clinical nurse specialist (CNS) interested in supporting the MDT. With a UCLH Outpatient Transformation grant of £15,000 we recruited an advanced physiotherapy practitioner (APP) and administrator for a 6 month trial period. Managerial support was provided by the board. We met weekly to agree aims and allocate responsibilities. We did the following: •Reviewed clinic lists for 6 months to identify duplicate appointments. •Identified patients with CNS and consultant follow up scheduled in a short time frame and cancelled unnecessary appointments. •Reviewed the clinic list weekly to identify patients suitable for APP management. This allowed overbooking of urgent cases. •Embedded hand ultrasound appointments in the clinic template. •Created CNS ‘Zoom’ virtual drop-ins for routine enquiries to reduce the administrative burden of patient emails/phone calls occurring outside the clinic. •Organised patient participation sessions to help shape the service and collected patient feedback questionnaires. Results We reduced our waiting time for follow up appointments from 9 months to 2 months. Pre-MDT the average wait from consultant referral to physiotherapist appointment was 55 days. The MDT allows for same day assessment (reducing 2-3 patient journeys a clinic) and where suitable, facilitates discharge or onwards referral to the appropriate service i.e. pain management, hand therapy, APP-led hypermobility programme. A dedicated MDT CNS has shortened treatment times, reduced email traffic between CNS and consultant and allows for same day, joint decision making resulting in fewer appointments. Patients welcomed the Zoom sessions as an efficient, reliable method of raising concerns/queries. Our administrator helps to facilitate communication between patients and clinicians and streamline MDT processes. Embedding point of care ultrasound reduces hospital visits and enhances treatment decision making thereby reducing follow up attendances. Conclusion Our MDT model has reduced waiting lists, decreased treatment delays and cut the number of hospital visits. Performing ultrasound in clinic helped prevent patients being sent for scans at private providers. This cost saving likely covers the APP, ensuring the project is close to cost neutral. Shared decision making added value to outpatient attendances, reflected in patients positive feedback. The MDT enhances the role of APP and CNS, utilising their unique skill set. Administrative support is crucial, enhances team working and places added value on this often underappreciated role. We encourage other Rheumatology departments to adopt an MDT approach to tackle the backlog of patients awaiting treatment, add value to clinic encounters and maximise the skill set of clinicians involved in patient care. References [1]NHS backlog data analysis. British Medical Association. Online; NHS backlog data analysis (bma.org.uk) [2]Rheumatology workforce: a crisis in numbers. British Society for Rheumatology. Workforce Policy Report 2021. BSR-workforce-report-crisis-numbers.pdf (rheumatology.org.uk) Acknowledgements I would like to thank the UCLH Outpatient Transformation Team for their support and funding to carry out this pilot project. Disclosure of Interests None declared